WARRIORS: A New Sight
by SparksAlchemy
Summary: Applepaw is a ThunderClan orphan apprentice. Born in WindClan but rejected because of her heritage. When threats from ShadowClan rise, she's forced to uncover the truth of her father's death, and what lies in store for her may destine her to the same fate as her mother... all because of her eyes? Rated T for mild suggestive themes, gore, and language. (REQUESTING OCs!)
1. Prologue

**Hello, everyone. My Name is SparksAlchemy. But, you guys can call me Ari ^-^**

**I wrote this story a long time ago and decided to go on and start publishing it. Of course, I'm in the process of editing it, so...**

**Enjoy my Warriors fanfic, darlings 3 This is my very first post on FanFic.**

**Critique is more than appreciated.**

A quarter moon glinted in the depths of the dark sky, providing just enough light for the forest to shimmer in silver light. The animals had returned to their nests and dens, allowing themselves a good night's sleep from working hard in their forage for food. There were a few creatures, however, which had something else on their minds.

Settled comfortably beside a flowing streams, tails curled neatly around their paws, were the outlines of four felines. Three of them sat side by side, in order from tallest, to shortest, darkest to lightest, and skinniest, to most muscular. And across from them sat a dark brown tabby tom with gleaming yellow eyes. The brown tabby's fur was being harassed by the strong breeze, being blown this way and that. The three toms across from him didn't seem to notice the wind.

"Are you sure you want to go along with this? I mean… clearly, the risk is certainly the most—"

"We've already thought of the risks," the tallest, light gray tom cut off the dark brown tabby.

"And we're more than willing to take _immediate_ action," the medium gray tom added, a slight grin appearing on his muzzle.

The brown tabby fell silent as he watched the three, a look of sadness flickering in his eyes. "You must understand. I have a family—"

"A family?" cut in the most muscular, dark gray tom.

"Yes. I-I have a daughter… And a so—"

"Don't believe this wretched fleabag," The tall light gray tom snarled. "He's trying to evoke sympathy from us. We all know this pitiful fur-ball couldn't possibly tie down a she-cat."

The medium gray tom nodded.

"What?" The brown tabby looked outraged. "My mate—"

"Silence." The medium gray tom hissed. "Don't lie to us. You're too old to be beaten for it."

The brown tabby fell silent.

"Here's your last chance. Accept our offer, or be punished for your betrayal," the tall light gray tom mewed.

The brown tabby tom stood to his paws, his yellow eyes glaring at the three toms before him. "Never!" he spat. "My family is more important than anything! I'd rather die than continue on with this… nonsense!"

The tall light gray tabby's tail flicked in the slightest. "Brother. You heard the man. Fulfill his wishes."

The medium gray tom smirked and stood up as well, unsheathing his claws. The brown tabby's eyes widened in horror as he took slow steps towards him. "What? You can't kill me! It's against the warrior code!"

The medium gray tom chuckled. "Oh, I'm not going to kill you…" he growled. "We'll let nature take care of that." He lunged at the brown tabby, bowling him over easily and pinning him down on the grass. The dark brown tabby snarled and hissed, thrashing beneath him as he tried to push him off. The gray tom slashed his claws down the brown tom's shoulder, and he yowled in pain. Momentarily thrown off from being hit, the gray tom managed to press a paw to his throat, and stopped him from flailing.

Sitting next to his other brother, the darkest, most muscular gray tom watched, his hazel eyes narrowed. When his brother had the brown tabby pinned, he stood up and approached them, his intense glare scrutinizing the scene. He leaned down to the brown tabby's ear, "No worries. I'll make sure your 'family' joins you in StarClan," he hissed softly. He pulled back and watched as his brother dragged the screeching tom towards the lake.

**Dun DUN DUUNNN... I wonder if that mysterious tom actually had a family...**

**I will be posting Allegiances soon, no worries.**


	2. Chapter 1: Cat and Mouse

**Here's chapter one! Enjoy!**

Two moons had passed since the incident that windy night. The coldness of leaf-bare had begun to kick in, and the forest's plants had withered away in frost. The prey and animals were hiding out in their dens, hibernating with full bellies, warm and cozy…

Applepaw wished she were like that right now. Nuzzled up next to her friend's warm fur, belly full of mice, dreaming about the new-leaf sun. But instead, she sat with her tail crossed over her paws in the clan clearing, shivering. She tried to mask the rumbling of her stomach by humming, waiting patiently for the clan deputy to finish giving out the morning's patrols. Her soft russet fur was coated in frost, and her eyes narrowed against the cool morning breeze.

"Lionfang. You, Coldstorm and I will take the younger apprentices out on a well-needed training session while their mentors stack up the fresh-kill pile," Batwing, the clan deputy, meowed.

Applepaw looked up at the mention of an all-apprentice training session, her eyes lighting up. Oh, joy! _A fighting session will be the perfect way to warm my pelt up_, she thought eagerly. A large, fluffy golden tom brushed against her. She waved her tail in greeting to the tom, and he purred. "You look like a frozen fish, Applepaw," he purred, his voice a deep rumble.

Applepaw straightened up and puffed out her chest. "A _brave_ frozen fish," she corrected him.

The large tom chuckled. "You're definitely my apprentice." He walked pass her to stand next to Batwing and Coldstorm, towering over the two greatly with his huge size. "Is everyone ready?" he asked.

Batwing, a beautiful, silky furred white she-cat with a black muzzle, paws, and tail tip, opened her mouth to reply, when a sudden commotion erupted from the apprentice's den. A large flurry of furs and tails burst from the brambles, rushing into the clearing and nearly bowling everyone over. Applepaw hopped to her feet, bristling, as he denmates came to a stop next to her, all chattering eagerly like birds.

Coldstorm grunted. "Here we go."

Riotpaw, a pitch black she-cat with amber eyes, pressed her fur against Applepaw's , her eyes wide. "Great Starclan, Applepaw! I wasn't expecting to see you up before me!" she exclaimed.

Applepaw shrugged. "It's too cold to sleep," she mewed. Applepaw was normally the last apprentice to wake up in the morning, because she was just that much of a sleepy head.

Rosepaw, Riotpaw's sister, took Applepaw's other side, her fluffy ginger coat providing perfect warmth. "Good morning!" she cheered.

The other apprentices began to huddle up together as the sudden cold struck them.

"Come on, everyone," Coldstorm yowled out, before padding out of the thorn barrier separating the camp from the rest of the forest. Everyone assigned to the patrol followed after him.

"So, are you excited about the gathering tonight?" Rosepaw squealed. Rosepaw was the more excited, bubbly one out of the two sisters.

"Yeah, I guess," Applepaw mewed. Deep down, however, she was dying to go to the gathering. Every full moon, the four clans would come together under the warriors of StarClan as they shared tongues together under a truce. Applepaw had only been to two gatherings. But each time she went, her friends weren't there to experience it with her. This would be the first gathering she attended with her friends, and maybe they could introduce her to other clan cats. She had been too shy to introduce herself alone.

Rosepaw squealed again. "Ooh, it's going to be so GREAT!" she squeaked happily. "I can't wait to introduce you to Stonecall!"

Applepaw looked confused. "Stonecall?"

Riotpaw rolled her eyes. "This WindClan tom Rosepaw's crushing on," she mewed.

Rosepaw's cheeks warmed up. "Am not!"

"Are so," Riotpaw purred.

Rosepaw huffed. "Well, anyways, he's such an amazing cat! And he's _cute."_

Riotpaw leaned into Applepaw's ear, "She said the same thing about Coldstorm," she muttered. Applepaw and Riotpaw snickered as the senior warrior's ears twitched from the front of the patrol and glanced back.

The band of cats stopped when they reached the training hollow. Batwing, Coldstorm, and Lionfang turned to face the crowd of apprentices, their fur being ruffled by a sudden chilly breeze. Batwing's unusual bright, violet eyes scanned the group, her mind calculating a plan. "Alright. Today, we're going to check on your speed and agility. We'll split into two groups for a game of Cat and Mouse." The apprentices began to murmur in excitement.

After glancing back to Lionfang and Coldstorm and exchanging a few words with the senior toms, she addressed the young felines. "Dancingpaw, Dogpaw, Rosepaw, and Riotpaw. You four will play the cats."

"Batwing, I thought we were going to do a practice battle!" Starkpaw, a pure white tom with blue eyes, shouted out.

Batwing nodded her head. "Yes, I'm aware. I've decided to reserve a fighting session for another time," she mewed, flicking her tail. "Applepaw, Rowanpaw, Cloudpaw, and Starkpaw. You four will play the mice." In the background, Dogpaw hissed to himself in disapproval. "The Cats have approximately until sundown to capture every Mouse. If the Mice go uncaught by this time, then the Mice win." Applepaw couldn't help but smirk. She had Cloudpaw on her team, the fastest apprentice in the clan. He and his sister, Dancingpaw, were a half moon away from being made warriors. "The Mice have a few heartbeats to hide themselves. Starting.. now!"

Immediately, Applepaw shot from her spot and into the forest, making a beeline for the ShadowClan border. She was pretty swift on her feet, herself. In fact, her body was thin and long, as if she were built for running. She was surprised to see that her teammate, Cloudpaw, was hard on her heels and next to her in a heartbeat. "It looks like we had the same idea," the handsome light gray tom huffed. His muscles rippled beneath his thick pelt as he ran, his ice blue eyes focused on the path in front of him.

"Shouldn't we split up? It would be easier for them to catch us if we're together," she managed to gasp out.

Cloudpaw shook his head. "They'll be thinking the same thing. So, if we were to be discovered, it'd only be one of them and two of us. We could easily manage to escape."

Applepaw admired the older tom's cleverness. He was as quick-witted as his father, Coldstorm. Both toms were well respected within the clan, admired for their courage, undying loyalty, and wits. Not to mention, they were both amazingly handsome.

They reached the Great Oak in no time. The apprentices slowed down and stopped at the trunk of the huge tree to catch their breath. Cloudpaw's ears suddenly pricked. "I think Batwing just released the other team," he gasped.

Applepaw listened, as well. She could hear voices a long distance off when she focused hard enough. "Yeah… should we keep going?" she asked. Cloudpaw thought about it for a moment, looking around the area, and then up the Great Oak.

"We've lingered here for too long. They'll definitely catch our scent here," he murmured, mostly to himself. "So, climbing a tree would be no good…" his eyes lit up after a pause. "We'll keep going for the ShadowClan border," he hissed before dashing off. Applepaw shot after him, unsure of what the tom's clever plan was.

* * *

Applepaw peered down at the forest from the tree branch, biting on her tongue to prevent from snickering. Cloudpaw was in the tree next to hers. They had decided to climb trees closest to the ShadowClan border and watch the confused looks on their denmate's faces. Below them, Rosepaw sniffed at the ground, going around in circles, trying to pick of a trail to where they might've gone next. The plan would have worked, if Dancingpaw hadn't have showed up. Dancingpaw knew all her brother's tricks, and the beautiful and clever she-cat immediately locked eyes with Applepaw. Applepaw squeaked, backing towards the tree's trunk.

"I found them," Dancingpaw mewed, her emerald eyes catching sight of Cloudpaw next. "It looks like you two are trapped."

"Oh, yeah?" Cloudpaw challenged. "Then why don't you climb up here and _catch me?_"

The remark seemed to have thrown Rosepaw and Dancingpaw off. The she-cats glanced at each other, before glancing back up at the two tall trees. Dancingpaw moved first, clambering up the trunk of Cloudpaw's tree, her fluffy tortoiseshell fur flowing in the sudden breeze. Cloudpaw smirked as he waited, sitting up and wrapping his tails neatly around his paws.

Applepaw had been so intrigued about the sister-brother competition that she hadn't notice Rosepaw climbing her own tree until she was half-way up. "Yikes!" she meowed.

"You lazy fur-ball! Come down here and get your ears clawed off!" Rosepaw yowled up to her.

Applepaw grinned and wiggled her tail. "Can't catch me!"

Rosepaw reached the branch Applepaw was on, and began to slowly approach her. "It looks like I win," she purred.

Applepaw tilted her head to the side. "Oh, really?" she asked. Remembering what CLoudpaw told her, she backed closer towards the edge of the branch. Rosepaw stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. "What's wrong; scared?" Applepaw teased.

Rosepaw looked uncertain. "You're awfully close to the edge, Applepaw…" she murmured.

Applepaw smiled. "I'll be seeing you and Stonecall at the gathering, bye!" Before Rosepaw could register her words, Applepaw jumped down to a thicker branch below her, digging her claws into the bark to steady herself. Rosepaw gawked in awe.

On the opposite tree, Cloudpaw had done the same to his sister, but Dancingpaw had expected it. With every branch he jumped onto, she was hard on his heels. Applepaw watched as Cloudpaw continuously leaped from branch to branch as he slowly made his way to the safety of the forest floor, and how easily his sister followed. _It must be easy for them, being the size of warriors__,_ she thought. She clambered down to her next branch as Rosepaw struggled to climb down.

By the time Applepaw reached the bottom, Dancingpaw had chased Cloudpaw off deep into the forest. She shook her fur and began to run back towards the training hollow as Rosepaw neared her last branch. Figuring that all the other apprentices wouldn't think of going back to the hollow, she thought her plan to go to the training hollow was perfect. But a noise suddenly stopped her in her tracks. A bush had rustled. She pricked her ears, scanning the area. Just when she realized what was about to happen, and prepared to bound away, a massive weight landed on her shoulders and pinned her to the ground. "Eeep!" she yelped.

Above her stood the huge, muscular frame of Dogpaw, his sharp teeth drawn back in a snarl of victory. The dark brown tom's pale, watery yellow eyes gleamed down at her. "I CAUGHT ANOTHER ONE! WHOOO!" he yowled. Applepaw thrashed underneath him.

"What? How is that even possible?! You're clumsier than a badger!" she shouted.

Dogpaw grinned. "I have my ways," he chuckled. As he spoke, Riotpaw appeared from behind a bush.

"I helped with the tracking," she beamed. "And now that we've got you… we won! CAT'S RULE!" her meow was loud and echoed through the entire forest. Soon victory yowls from other cats followed suit as everyone revealed themselves within the training hollow.

"Wha..? You- you caught Cloudpaw, too?" Applepaw stammered. Dancingpaw was dragging Cloudpaw by his scruff into the clearing. The silver tom swatted her nose playfully. "Let go of me, fleabag!" he chuckled. Starkpaw was sitting on the log, his white fur matted with dust from sparring. Sitting closely next to him was his littermate, Rowanpaw, the light brown tom scowling in defeat.

"I caught Starkpaw myself!" Riotpaw beamed. Starkpaw scuffed.

"Well done, everyone," came a gentle mew beside Applepaw. Applepaw looked up to see Batwing, Coldstorm, and Lionfang, all settled side by side. "You all did a wonderful job. Now, back to camp, all of you. I'll be reporting to your mentors about today's events." She stood up and padded towards the camp, the senior warriors following.

Applepaw pushed Dogpaw off her and got up, shaking the frost and dust off her fur. She caught up to her mentor, walking by his side as she caught her breath. "Applepaw," the large tom rumbled. Applepaw looked up at her mentor curiously. He caught her gaze, his expression serious. "I want to talk to you about the gathering tonight."

Applepaw swished her tail. "Go ahead," she mewed.

"ShadowClan has been casting… threats towards are clan," he began.

"Yeah, I know. Pouncestar announces it at clan meetings."

"Yes, I you also know that these threats are in relation to your father."

Applepaw grew silent.

"Pouncestar has not given up the belief that ShadowClan are responsible for his death. Of course, the accusations have been denied, thus resulting hostility from that clan."

"And?" she inquired.

"You being his daughter, Applepaw, and a half-clan she-cat… it may be best if you… stayed close to your clanmates."

"We're under a truce!" Applepaw exclaimed. "They can't harm me!"

"We are never sure what ShadowClan and WindClan are capable off," Lionfang cut in, his voice rising. He sighed. "Your mother was from WindClan, Applepaw. They rejected you because of your heritage, and Pouncestar gladly accepted you into our ranks with your father. Then your father was killed, believed to be by the paws of Shadowcl—"

"Why are we discussing this?" Applepaw snarled.

"Because your clanmates are concerned for you," he replied calmly.

"I don't need to be fussed over!" she snapped.

"Applepaw, I have to warn you in case the topic is brought up during the meet—"

"We'll see what happens when we get there!" She yowled. She stormed off ahead of the senior warriors, her eyes blazing with emotion. She wasn't going to let this get to her. Just because she was a little different. She always knew why the other clan cats would glance at her and murmur under their breaths during the gatherings. Why she never had the courage to speak to them. But she was going to have to change that tonight…

**We've barely gotten into the story, and that female is already causing trouble D:**

**So, who wants their OC to be in the story?! :D**

**I will wait a good... two weeks before I post the allegiances. You guys have two weeks from today to review for your chance to have a character.**

**If don't get any reviews, then that's cool. There will be more opportunities.**

**Until then, I'll try to have the second and third chapter up c:**

**Oh, here's the form for OCs:**

Cat's Name:

Status(Rogue, Apprentice, Warrior, etc;):

Clan(Thunderclan, RiverClan, None, etc;):

Gender:

Description:

Other?:

**Here are the spots that are available:**

How Many Available| Clan | Status | Major or Minor Character ((Status in order: Very Minor, Minor, Slightly Minor, Slightly Major, Major, Protagonist/Antagonist.))

2 ShadowClan Warriors (Slightly Minor)

3 ShadowClan Apprentices(Minor)

**1 ShadowClan Apprentice(Major) CLOSED.**

2 ShadowClan Queens(Very Minor)

3 ShadowClan Kits(Very Minor)

3 WindClan Warriors(Very Minor)

2 WindClan Apprentices(Very Minor)

2 Rogues(Slightly Major)

4 RiverClan Cats of Any Status(Very Minor)

4 Windclan Cats of Any Status(Very Minor)

**Au revoir.**

**~Ari.**


	3. Chapter 2: Pouncestar's Promise

**Chapter dos! **

**I was intending to edit and upload this sometime next week. But then I said "No... Imma do it now. Cuz I can." But really, I just love writing this FanFic ./u/.**

**So, instead of having two chapters uploaded over the next two weeks, until the OC thing is ever...**

**I just might do FOUR! .o. Yeah, I update a lot.**

**Without further ado, Chapter two.**

**Divertiti.**

_Applepaw… _

_Applepaw…_

Applepaw woke up with a start to someone prodding her in the ribs. Riotpaw was hovering over her nest, her intense, electric amber eyes baring holes into her skin. "Applepaw, wake up! It's time to go to the gathering!" she exclaimed before whisking out of the den.

Applepaw stood up and arched her back in a stretch. The den was dark. She looked around the nests to see everyone except Rowanpaw missing. _He must not be going,_ she thought. She lightly stepped around the snoring tom's nest, and into the chilly, moonlit clearing outside. Cats were lined up at the entrance to the camp, chattering eagerly amongst themselves like sparrows.

Shortwhisker, a small, dusty queen, was herding, or attempting to herd, her two kits back into the nursery. "But I want to go to the gathering, too!" Thistlekit squealed.

"Yeah!" Kestrelkit interjected.

Shortwhisker grunted in annoyance. "When you're _apprentices,_" she growled.

Applepaw chuckled as she watched. Thistlekit and Kestrelkit reminded her of herself and Skypaw when they were kits. _Thinking of Skypaw…_ Her eyes fell on a blue-ish she-cat walking out of the medicine den, Seacloud following closely behind her. Skypaw was Applepaw's adopted littermate. Her mother had been the queen who nursed her when she first came to ThunderClan as a kit. She bounded over to the pretty she-cat, purring. "Hi, Skypaw!"

Skypaw's brilliant blue eyes met Applepaw's and she smiled warmly. "Hey, Applepaw! Excited for the gathering?" she asked.

Applepaw nodded. "Yeah. Maybe this time we can actually sit together," she mumbled.

Skypaw's shuffled her paws. "Yeah, sorry about that," she murmured guiltily. "But ever since I became Seacloud's apprentice, I've been required to sit with the other medicine cats."

"I know."

The two apprentices walked over to the rest of the waiting cats. Applepaw cared about Skypaw greatly. Being the only apprentice in the clan without a littermate, she learned to appreciate Skypaw more, especially after she left the apprentices den to join the medicine den two moons ago. Applepaw had been lonely, but she quickly became friends with all the other apprentices.

Lionfang was near the front of the group, conversing with Batwing and Peachfall. Cloudpaw and Dancingpaw sat near the edge together, their tails wrapped neatly around their paws and their chins held high. There was never a time when they could be caught slacking.

"So, what are the other medicine cat apprentices like?" Applepaw asked.

Skypaw shook her head. "There's only the ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice, Snakefrost. He received his full name last half-moon."

"He sounds wicked."

"He's not as mean as he looks. He's quite nice. In fact, he introduced me to some of his friends a while back."

Are _they _wicked?"

"Pfft. Shut up."

Pouncestar bounded down the rock fall from her den and into the clearing. The she-cat was stunningly beautiful. She was thin and lean; her golden brown fur was long, silky, and soft. Her blue eyes shone like crystals. She brushed past the two apprentices and took the lead at the front of the patrol. "Let's go!" she yowled.

Applepaw waited for the scrawny tom in front of her, Bitterbreeze, to move before moving into step with the rest of her clanmates.

Applepaw gripped the slippery log with her claws to catch her balance. Behind her, Starkpaw hissed impatiently for her to move. The gathering island was a few tails lengths ahead, after crossing the tree branch. RiverClan and ShadowClan were already in the clearing, and WindClan warriors were waiting their turn to cross. She bunched up her muscles and leaped, landing squarely on her paws and onto the island. Once across, she waited for Skypaw and Riotpaw before moving into the large clearing.

Cats were everywhere! There were short cats with gray fur, tall cats with white, old cats with brown fur… The scene never failed to amaze Applepaw. On the large tree sat Icestar, a sour pitch black she-cat with piercing blue eyes and white paws; ShadowClan's leader. And a few branches below her, sitting with his tail wrapped around his paws, was Lakestar; RiverClan's large, fluffy, muscular tabby leader. He was almost as big as Lionfang, but Lionfang would always be the largest tom in the forest.

Applepaw followed Skypaw to a group of ShadowClan warriors. Uncertainty prickled at her paws as Lionfang's words echoed in her ears. "_Stay close to your own classmates._" She swallowed her fear, narrowing her eyes. _Pffft! I'll show him!_

"Hi Snakefrost!" Skypaw purred to a smoky black tom. For a medicine cat, he had long, thin, sharp and pointy claws that curled around his paws, and his yellow-green eyes were bloodshot. The tom smiled at her, revealing sharp white fangs.

"Hey, Skypaw. How are you?" the tom purred. To Applepaw, the purr sounded like a seductive sneer. This tom gave her the creeps.

"I'm well. Oh, this is my sister, Applepaw," she mewed, flicking her tail in Applepaw's directions. Applepaw took a seat next to her, feeling the eyes of all the ShadowClan warriors in the group penetrating her skin. "Applepaw, this is Snakefrost, ShadowClan's medidicne cat. And these are his friends, Ashpelt, Wolfclaw, and Raintail." She flicked her tail to each tom in turn. "They're brothers."

Raintail, the lightest, tallest tom, smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine.." Applepaw mewed.

Ashpelt stood to his paws and leaned towards her, giving her a sniff before grinning. "You look like a kit!" he laughed.

Applepaw glowered at him, puffing out her chest. "I'm 10 moons old!" she hissed. This made Ashpelt laugh harder. He flicked her ear with his tail. "Relax, I'm just messing with ya," he chuckled.

Wolfclaw, the thickest in muscle mass of the three, raked his gaze over her body with mild interest. "I haven't seen you before. Who are you?" he asked.

"She's Owltalon's daughter. You know, the half-breed everyone's fussing about," Skypaw meowed.

Wolfclaw's expression remained stoic, though Applepaw could've sworn she saw surprise flicker in those hazel eyes. "I see," he mewed.

Ashpelt locked eyes with her, and she felt herself shifting uncomfortably as she held his gaze. He narrowed his eyes, leaning closer to her face. "Your eyes…" he mewed.

Applepaw choked. It had been a long time since anyone even dared to mention her eyes. Her unusual eyes…

Skypaw drew his lips back and swatted at him. "Stop being so rude!" she hissed.

Ashpelt wasn't fazed by Skypaw's irritation. Applepaw wondered if SKypaw fussed at him often. "Yeah, my eyes…" she mewed.

Ashpelt tilted his head to the side, still gazing at her. "Your right eye is blue, Applepaw…"

"Yeah, I know."

"And your left eye is…"

"Yeah, _I know—"_

"Amber."

All the cats within the group fell silent.

"Oh. Now I recall," Snakefrost chipped in. "Your mother was that WindClan queen with the mixed eyes. You must have inherited her trait."

Applepaw's eyes widened. Her mother had the same eyes that she did?

"I'm surprised Owltalon managed to actually get a mate!" Ashpelt exclaimed.

"You shut up about my father," Applepaw growled. Ashpelt laughed. Wolfclaw's lips twitched.

"But, for real, your leader is on some dumb shit for accusing ShadowClan of his death," Ashpelt continued.

"His body has your ugly, muddy paw prints all over it," Skypaw teased.

"Yeah right. ThunderClan are just too chicken to admit that they can't swim."

"Neither can ShadowClan!" Skypaw retorted.

Applepaw listened as the cats fussed. She was relieved to see that not every ShadowClan warrior was taking the accusations seriously. The tension in her shoulders eased as she began to relax.

"Did Owltalon have a son, too?" Wolfclaw suddenly asked her. She looked up at the large tom in surprise, meeting his hazel eyes, before shaking her head.

"My brother died at birth," she mewed.

"Ah." Their attention was directed to the great tree as Icestar yowled for the meeting to begin. Pouncestar and Gorsestar had joined their ranks with the other leaders, settling on their own branches.

"ShadowClan has been prospering greatly during this cold leaf-bare," Icestar yowled out to gathered cats. "We have not allowed ThunderClan's kittish accusations bring us down!—"

"Nonsense!" Pouncestar yowled. The clearing exploded into yowls of protest and outrage from ThunderClan.

"Murderers!" Yowled a raspy-voiced tom somewhere off in the back. Applepaw twisted her neck around to identify Bitterbreeze.

"Scum bags!" Shadeowl, a ThunderClan queen, yowled.

"SILENCE!" Lakestar spat. His fur was bristling and his tail was lashing aggressively behind him. The outbursts from cats fell to less than murmurs. "This feud between ShadowClan and ThunderClan is absolutely _kit-like."_ He turned to Pouncestar, his yellow eyes ablaze. "Pouncestar. I thought it was cleared up at the last gathering that Owltalon had simply drowned," the tom mewed as calmly as he could.

Pouncestar stood to her paws, her blue eyes blazing despite her calm composure. "Owltalon's body had been found floating on ShadowClan's side of the lake—"

"His body could've just drifted to our side!" Icestar yowled.

"Seacloud has identified scratches on his neck!" Pouncestar spat.

Lakestar sighed. "Pouncestar, I understand that you're mourning your brother's death. But honestly, it does not tie you to causing unnecessary trouble under our truce." Pouncestar frowned.

"I bet he was hunting in our territory and one of my patrols gave him a good tail whopping for trespassing, and he wandered off towar—"

"My warriors know their boundaries!" Pouncestar snapped.

"We don't want your disgusting frogs!" Bitterbreeze yowled.

"Then why has my warriors scented _ThunderClan _in our territory?" Icestar challenged.

"Your warriors have dung in their noses! You said the same thing about RiverClan!" A she-cat in the crowd shouted. The clearing burst into another fit, and Lakestar tried his hardest to get them to fall silent.

"Your leader needs to get some sleep," Ashpelt muttered to Skypaw. Applepaw and Skypaw exchanged a glance.

"Your leader needs to stop being so proud and actually look into the situation. Maybe one of your warriors _is_ up to something," Skypaw replied.

Applepaw stared at her. Why had Skypaw been so calm around these warriors this entire time? Was it because she's a medicine cat? Applepaw shook her head. _Medicine cat or not, thess warriors are supposed to show hostility towards us. Why are they so cool?_ "Shouldn't you guys hate our guts right now?" she voiced out loud.

They all looked at her. "You know, because our clans are fighting and everything?" she continued.

Ashpelt chuckled. "I was never one to follow the crowd."

Wolfclaw nodded.

"And besides, you haven't given us any reason to hate your guts." Snakefrost smirked. "Yet."

"We understand that your leader's a nutcase. We don't hold grudges," Ashpelt shrugged.

Raintail curled his long tail over his paws. "And a friend of Skypaw's is a friend of ours."

"I never liked you, Skypaw," Wolfclaw mewed.

"I never liked you either," she scuffed, swatting at his ear.

In the tree, the leaders had temporarily stopped their argument to get the clans below to quiet down.

"PLEASE!" yowled Gorsestar for the first time. "This is ridiculous! Can't we hold one gathering in peace?" the skinny tom snarled.

Icestar lashed her tail. "When ThunderClan learns to keep their flea-bitten problems to themselves!" she spat.

Pouncestar bristled. "My medicine cat is certain that Owltalon was attacked right before he died! I will not rest until I figure out who sent him to StarClan too early!" She leaped down from the tree, her eyes lit. "Let's go, ThunderClan!" She yowled.

Batwing hopped to her paws and dashed after her leader. Cats began to murmur as ThunderClan warriors rose to their paws and followed their leader onto the tree bridge.

"Looks like we'll be seeing you on the battle field, Applepaw," Ashpelt mewed. He smiled, his blue eyes alive, "I hope you can fight."

Applepaw huffed and got to her paws. "Better than you can."

"See you at half-moon, Skypaw," Snakefrost called to her.

"Good-bye!" Skypaw and Applepaw called back before reaching the tree bridge and crossing with their clan. Applepaw caught Lionfang's intense stare, and gulped.

_Whoops._

_**Thank you, Wildheart of Windclan, for being the first to submit a OC. Remember guys, you have until the nineteenth of August!  
**_

**Yeah, yeah, I know. "ARI! WHERE DA FUQ IS DA ACTION?!"**

**You see, my dear beloveds, I decided to hold back on too much drama. I'd rather have the plotline progress in interest as it continues, not flat out smack you guys in le face with sudden action at the beginning of the story. c: Don't wanna give you whiplash!**

**LOL!  
WHIPLASH!**

**. . .**

**I don't know what whiplash is. -Goes to Google.- Oh... that's not funny at all. **

**But seriously. I promise you: A lot more drama and a lot more of Snakefrost(I kinda see him as this feline version of Jeff the Killer... why?). The story has to progress first, my darlings. And I probably made, like, a million grammar errors and typos. And I will correct them.. eventually. But holding on to this story after I finished it is like holding on to a hundred dollars in the mall and not spending it. Hard as hell.**

**Au revoir.**

**~Ari. **


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